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Newmarket Regency #1
The Kydd Inheritance
Secrets and skulduggery in Regency England! A Newmarket Regency prequel.
...
Nell Kydd’s brother is missing, her father is dead and her loathsome uncle is ruining the family estate with his mismanagement. Add a perturbing lack of funds, an unwelcome proposal of marriage and a mother who lives in a reality of her own and it is easy to see why Nell is at her wits' end. It is at this point that the enigmatic Captain Hugo Derringer comes to stay in the district. First he blows hot, then cold, and is discovered in odd places, at odd times, asking some very odd questions. Just how far can Nell trust him?
This is a revised version of the original hardback, published by Robert Hale in 2011. It was shortlisted for the RoNA Rose award in 2012.
...
Nell Kydd’s brother is missing, her father is dead and her loathsome uncle is ruining the family estate with his mismanagement. Add a perturbing lack of funds, an unwelcome proposal of marriage and a mother who lives in a reality of her own and it is easy to see why Nell is at her wits' end. It is at this point that the enigmatic Captain Hugo Derringer comes to stay in the district. First he blows hot, then cold, and is discovered in odd places, at odd times, asking some very odd questions. Just how far can Nell trust him?
This is a revised version of the original hardback, published by Robert Hale in 2011. It was shortlisted for the RoNA Rose award in 2012.
- GenresHistorical Romance
274 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
6 people are currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
Jan Jones
73 books30 followersA maths graduate, former computer programmer and erstwhile playgroup leader, Jan Jones writes contemporary romantic comedy, Regency romances, romantic suspense (often with a paranormal twist), cosy quirky mysteries, serials for women's magazines, short stories and poems. She won the RNA’s Joan Hessayon Award in 2005 with her debut novel Stage by Stage which came about through her experience of chaperoning her daughter during a touring production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. When in Georgette Heyer territory, she uses her fascination with history to write a series of Newmarket Regencies (The Kydd Inheritance, Fair Deception, Fortunate Wager etc) set 200 years ago in her nearest town. As with all writers, elements of her life also inspire her many short stories for women’s magazines (one of which won the RNA Elizabeth Goudge award in 2002). This could be why she gets funny looks whenever she takes out her notebook during conversations in the bar. Jan organises the annual RNA conference and is firmly of the opinion that the Romantic Novelists' Association is the friendliest, most supportive organisation around.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
July 17, 2020
Jan Jones is a new-to-me HR author who seems to be relatively unknown, at least here in the U.S. She's from the U.K., the Newmarket area, and likes to base her Regencies there. The first book by her that I read was FORTUNATE WAGER, the third in her Newmarket Regency series. This one is the first book of the series and doesn't seem to have much of a relationship to the third, not in characters nor plot nor actual setting. The third one revolves around horse racing in Newmarket. This one doesn't and is set partly in London and partly at two Kydd estates, one outside of London and one perhaps closer to Newmarket, although Newmarket does not figure in the story.
Heroine Nell Kydd is in a pickle. Her father has recently died in a riding accident. Her mother is emotionally fragile and often not living in the here-and-now. Her brother is MIA in India and her uncle, Jasper Kydd, her father's brother, has taken control of their family estate and is mismanaging it grossly, not allowing her any say in what is going on. What to do?
Well, you'll find that Nell is no shy, retiring young lady lacking initiative. She's going to do all she can to find out what has happened to brother Kit. He needs to return and take control of their properties before Uncle Jasper runs everything into the ground.
And then there's the mysterious Captain Hugo Derringer, who shows up unexpectedly in the neighborhood and seems to be taking an inordinate amount of interest in Kydd business. What's that all about? And what is this push-pull attraction between Nell and Hugo? It's a prickly relationship but there's some underlying sexual chemistry, surely.
This story has romance, mystery, action/adventure, and some amusing and entertaining moments. "Aunt Jane" and her chaperoning is not to be missed. Nell's marriage proposal from a longtime friend and neighbor near the beginning of the story is another fun moment. There's also some humor in interactions with Nell's mom when she is not quite herself. The characters are all well developed. The dialogue is smart and fun. I was thoroughly entertained by this book. As for the romance, I found it to be quite satisfying, with just speaking glances and a few sweet and a few passionate kisses.
I'm off to try out more of Jones's little Regencies. They are well written, seem historically accurate, and, in spite of being in the "clean" traditional vein, have enough warmth in the H/h attraction to suit me.
Heroine Nell Kydd is in a pickle. Her father has recently died in a riding accident. Her mother is emotionally fragile and often not living in the here-and-now. Her brother is MIA in India and her uncle, Jasper Kydd, her father's brother, has taken control of their family estate and is mismanaging it grossly, not allowing her any say in what is going on. What to do?
Well, you'll find that Nell is no shy, retiring young lady lacking initiative. She's going to do all she can to find out what has happened to brother Kit. He needs to return and take control of their properties before Uncle Jasper runs everything into the ground.
And then there's the mysterious Captain Hugo Derringer, who shows up unexpectedly in the neighborhood and seems to be taking an inordinate amount of interest in Kydd business. What's that all about? And what is this push-pull attraction between Nell and Hugo? It's a prickly relationship but there's some underlying sexual chemistry, surely.
This story has romance, mystery, action/adventure, and some amusing and entertaining moments. "Aunt Jane" and her chaperoning is not to be missed. Nell's marriage proposal from a longtime friend and neighbor near the beginning of the story is another fun moment. There's also some humor in interactions with Nell's mom when she is not quite herself. The characters are all well developed. The dialogue is smart and fun. I was thoroughly entertained by this book. As for the romance, I found it to be quite satisfying, with just speaking glances and a few sweet and a few passionate kisses.
I'm off to try out more of Jones's little Regencies. They are well written, seem historically accurate, and, in spite of being in the "clean" traditional vein, have enough warmth in the H/h attraction to suit me.
May 23, 2018
Here’s the premise: Nell’s father has died suddenly, her brother has disappeared and is believed dead on his way home from India, and her mother is away with the fairies much of the time. Meanwhile, her uncle is mismanaging the estate, the money for Nell’s season has vanished and the only suitor is one she wouldn’t dream of accepting. And then a mysterious stranger arrives, and starts behaving in an odd manner. What’s a girl to do? Why, resort to deception and subterfuge, that’s what.
I don’t remember now why I picked up this book. Maybe I read about it somewhere, or tripped over it on Amazon as I bounced around the ‘also boughts’ from one book to another. Something drew my eye, but for the first few chapters, I couldn’t for the life of me see why. The situation was not terribly original, the mystery didn’t seem to be too difficult to work out, and I could see pretty much how things were going to go. There were flashes of something more hidden beneath the surface, but it didn’t set me on fire.
But then everything shifted up a gear, as if the author had suddenly got into her stride, and the thing exploded into the most glorious fun. There are moments in this book that will stay with me for ever, such as ‘Cousin Jane’ going out for the evening - positively delicious. The dialogue sparkles in best Georgette Heyer-style, the minor characters are delightfully eccentric and the principals are wonderful. The romance comes slowly to the boil, in quite the best way, the hero is swoon-worthy and the heroine is feisty and intelligent without being too modern.
For sticklers for historical accuracy (like me), this seemed to me to be resoundingly well researched, and with a writing style that effectively captures the era without tripping up the modern reader. The only off note was the heroine setting off to do her ‘marketing’. As a Brit, I’ve never encountered this expression, and find it hard to believe that any gently-brought-up young lady would actually go food shopping (that’s what servants were for). The heroine also seems to make a lot of her own clothes, but I suppose she had been reduced to a poverty-stricken state.
The climax is less silly and more plausible than in many other Regencies (translation: it was pretty silly, in a lot of ways, but by this point in the book I was sufficiently invested that I didn’t mind). And then the book ended in the best possible way - with the villain routed, a thoroughly believable HEA, a big kiss and me with a huge grin on my face. Highly recommended. Five stars.
I don’t remember now why I picked up this book. Maybe I read about it somewhere, or tripped over it on Amazon as I bounced around the ‘also boughts’ from one book to another. Something drew my eye, but for the first few chapters, I couldn’t for the life of me see why. The situation was not terribly original, the mystery didn’t seem to be too difficult to work out, and I could see pretty much how things were going to go. There were flashes of something more hidden beneath the surface, but it didn’t set me on fire.
But then everything shifted up a gear, as if the author had suddenly got into her stride, and the thing exploded into the most glorious fun. There are moments in this book that will stay with me for ever, such as ‘Cousin Jane’ going out for the evening - positively delicious. The dialogue sparkles in best Georgette Heyer-style, the minor characters are delightfully eccentric and the principals are wonderful. The romance comes slowly to the boil, in quite the best way, the hero is swoon-worthy and the heroine is feisty and intelligent without being too modern.
For sticklers for historical accuracy (like me), this seemed to me to be resoundingly well researched, and with a writing style that effectively captures the era without tripping up the modern reader. The only off note was the heroine setting off to do her ‘marketing’. As a Brit, I’ve never encountered this expression, and find it hard to believe that any gently-brought-up young lady would actually go food shopping (that’s what servants were for). The heroine also seems to make a lot of her own clothes, but I suppose she had been reduced to a poverty-stricken state.
The climax is less silly and more plausible than in many other Regencies (translation: it was pretty silly, in a lot of ways, but by this point in the book I was sufficiently invested that I didn’t mind). And then the book ended in the best possible way - with the villain routed, a thoroughly believable HEA, a big kiss and me with a huge grin on my face. Highly recommended. Five stars.
August 24, 2020
Regency.
The MCs Hugo and Nell, were guarded, got closer,
became aloof, got closer and so on. Mixed emotions.
Nell had a loyal staff who looked out for her.
The antagonist was evil and ruined the story for me.
IMO book #3 (which I read 1st) was superior to this
one.
The MCs Hugo and Nell, were guarded, got closer,
became aloof, got closer and so on. Mixed emotions.
Nell had a loyal staff who looked out for her.
The antagonist was evil and ruined the story for me.
IMO book #3 (which I read 1st) was superior to this
one.
March 8, 2011
It's always a good sign when I pick up a new book, only intending to dip into it and find myself halfway through it the next time I look up. And that's exactly what happened when I picked up The Kydd Inheritance. Talk about a page-turner. I quickly got caught up in the characters' concerns and it hurtled along at such a pace that I kept promising myself just one more chapter. Which became one more. And another, and, oh, go on then, let's read this next one...
The central character of Nell is immediately engaging and sympathetic. When the book opens, she is struggling to keep her family estate from ruin by her uncle, Jasper. He's taken over management of the Kydd Estate following the sudden death of her father and in the absence, and more recently disappearance, of her brother Kit abroad. With her mother wrapped up in a world of her own, she must rely on her wits and strength of character a lot of the time to see her through. She is supported as much as they're able by her servants and she obviously has a good rapport with them, as well as the family's neighbours in the area. Into this mix comes Captain Hugo Derringer who appears to enjoy baiting Nell while making some strange enquiries of his own about the Kydd Estate and its running.
Jan captures the spirit and flavour of the Regency period she writes about extremely well and I quickly became immersed in the world of the novel, willing Nell to overcome the odds, hold her family - including the extended family of the household staff - together and save Kydd Court. I loved the banter between Nell and Hugo and the scenes where these two are together are especially sparky and highly enjoyable. The Kydd Inheritance is a prequel to Fair Deception which I'm now looking forward to reading very soon.
The central character of Nell is immediately engaging and sympathetic. When the book opens, she is struggling to keep her family estate from ruin by her uncle, Jasper. He's taken over management of the Kydd Estate following the sudden death of her father and in the absence, and more recently disappearance, of her brother Kit abroad. With her mother wrapped up in a world of her own, she must rely on her wits and strength of character a lot of the time to see her through. She is supported as much as they're able by her servants and she obviously has a good rapport with them, as well as the family's neighbours in the area. Into this mix comes Captain Hugo Derringer who appears to enjoy baiting Nell while making some strange enquiries of his own about the Kydd Estate and its running.
Jan captures the spirit and flavour of the Regency period she writes about extremely well and I quickly became immersed in the world of the novel, willing Nell to overcome the odds, hold her family - including the extended family of the household staff - together and save Kydd Court. I loved the banter between Nell and Hugo and the scenes where these two are together are especially sparky and highly enjoyable. The Kydd Inheritance is a prequel to Fair Deception which I'm now looking forward to reading very soon.
January 12, 2017
An absolute gem of a story!
This a wonderful Regency Romance, rich in period detail and feel, with a lovely take on a classic plot.
Nell is a gem - forward and feisty and capable, and not the sort of girl to patiently await rescue (just as well).
Hugo is a dream hero - strong, honourable, and perfectly well aware of Nell's flaws. He also looks like Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy in my mind :)
The Kydd Inheritance is a glorious madcap mystery/romance/romp stuffed to the brim with engaging characters, entertaining situations, rotten cads, noble heroics, and, of course, Twu Wuv.
Highly recommended.
This a wonderful Regency Romance, rich in period detail and feel, with a lovely take on a classic plot.
Nell is a gem - forward and feisty and capable, and not the sort of girl to patiently await rescue (just as well).
Hugo is a dream hero - strong, honourable, and perfectly well aware of Nell's flaws. He also looks like Colin Firth's Mr. Darcy in my mind :)
The Kydd Inheritance is a glorious madcap mystery/romance/romp stuffed to the brim with engaging characters, entertaining situations, rotten cads, noble heroics, and, of course, Twu Wuv.
Highly recommended.
July 26, 2020
Good historical, clean romance with a pace and complex plot that reminded me of Heyer's writing style. The H is clearly working behind the scenes, and the 18 year old heroine acted like someone twice her age. The result of the loss of her father and her mother's grief, and her brother missing in action. I found the dialogue overwhelming, with very thought, feeling or concern discussed, making it a little tedious for my taste. It was a good read.
December 7, 2012
Delightful and well written Regency with a touch of Heyer and Mary Stewart. I'm looking forward to the next Jan Jones novel, Fair Deception.
August 11, 2020
I have 3 stars to give and 3 things to say:
1) Whoa, there. What's that? An actual plot in an HR? How singular. We don't tolerate your kind here...
2)All joking aside, the novel is quite good, but.. maybe a historical romance should have a bit more romance in it? Since the plot wasn't overly engaging to make up for it.
3)The heroine was a delight to read.
Moral of the story: If you call your lady-love an "imbecilic girl" you better propose next or pray she's hard of hearing
1) Whoa, there. What's that? An actual plot in an HR? How singular. We don't tolerate your kind here...
2)All joking aside, the novel is quite good, but.. maybe a historical romance should have a bit more romance in it? Since the plot wasn't overly engaging to make up for it.
3)The heroine was a delight to read.
Moral of the story: If you call your lady-love an "imbecilic girl" you better propose next or pray she's hard of hearing
April 14, 2018
Author review - This is a new, updated edition of the original hardback. I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting my Newmarket Regency series in order to make them available for a wider audience
June 24, 2018
Very enjoyable Regency mystery/romance. Great period detail. Will be reading more from this author.
July 5, 2020
Clean romance
Evil uncle, brother in hiding. A dramatic set up! The progress of the romance definately played second fiddle. That's why it got 4 stars from me.
Evil uncle, brother in hiding. A dramatic set up! The progress of the romance definately played second fiddle. That's why it got 4 stars from me.
March 20, 2021
If Only Real-Life Villains Were So Easy to Spot
Stop reading for a moment early in the book and look toward the horizon. You can see a happy ending waving back at you. And you can see the villain popping up directly in front of you. No surprises there, either, except for how long it takes the characters to realize the extent of his evilness.
That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the book. I did. Knowing what will happen doesn't need to diminish a good tale. Enough happens to keep the reader engaged and the characters are flawed enough to be believable, especially if you keep in mind that the heroine is just a teenager.
I do wonder if Hugo, the hero, ever truly learns that women are not the fragile, purely decorative objects he believes them to be. For heroine Nell's future happiness, I hope he learned that lesson.
Stop reading for a moment early in the book and look toward the horizon. You can see a happy ending waving back at you. And you can see the villain popping up directly in front of you. No surprises there, either, except for how long it takes the characters to realize the extent of his evilness.
That isn't to say I didn't enjoy the book. I did. Knowing what will happen doesn't need to diminish a good tale. Enough happens to keep the reader engaged and the characters are flawed enough to be believable, especially if you keep in mind that the heroine is just a teenager.
I do wonder if Hugo, the hero, ever truly learns that women are not the fragile, purely decorative objects he believes them to be. For heroine Nell's future happiness, I hope he learned that lesson.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews